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Grocery Chain, Kroger Co., CINCINNATI, Ohio, has announced pet
food recalls
of select packages of dog and cat food sold in some
of its retail stores - The products may contain aflatoxin,
which poses a health risk to pets.

The recalled dog foods are:

Recalled
Dog Foods

Bag
Size

Sell
By Dates

UPC
Code:

Old Yeller
Chunk Dog Food

22 lb.

OCT 23 11 DP
and
OCT 24 11 DP

1111074566

Old Yeller
Chunk Dog Food

50 lb.

OCT 23 11 DP
and
OCT 24 11 DP

1111074563

Kroger Value
Chunk Dog Food

15 lb.

OCT 23 11 DP
and
OCT 24 11 DP

1111071559

Kroger Value
Chunk Dog Food

50 lb.

OCT 23 11 DP
and
OCT 24 11 DP

1111000108

Kroger
stores in the following states are included in these dog
food recalls: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois,
Indiana,
Kentucky,
Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The
recall also includes Dillons and Gerbes stores in Kansas and Missouri;
Baker’s stores in Nebraska; Food 4 Less stores in Nebraska, Illinois
and Indiana (Chicago area); and Jay C, Hilander, Owen’s, Pay Less and
Scott’s stores in Illinois and Indiana.

Aflatoxin is a naturally-occurring toxic chemical by-product from the
growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. If
your pet shows any symptoms of illness, including sluggishness or
lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, yellowish tint to the eyes
and/or gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea, please consult your
veterinarian immediately.

November 10,
2010

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Public Health Agency
of Canada (PHAC) have issued a warning to the public to
discard the following Beef Pet Food product which was sold to two
stores in British Columbia.

The CIFA identified the potential contamination during an
on-going food safety investigation of beef trims. To
date, there have been no reported illnesses associated with this Beef
Pet
Food product.

The affected product was sold frozen in 500g blocks assembled in
10-unit and 50-unit packages from October 8 to 23 inclusively at the
following locations:

Surrey Meat Packers, 6050-176th Street,
Cloverdale, BC; and,

Jolly Meats and Fine Foods, 111 Charles Street,
North Vancouver, BC.

The label on the affected pet food may
not show a packing date or a
Best Before date. If you suspect you may have purchased this
pet food product, you are advised to check with the stores where the
product was
purchased.

People may become infected with the bacteria by handling the pet food
directly or by contact with pets that have consumed the food. Note that
pet food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell
spoiled.

The FDA Press Release states:
"No other
BLUE
dry or can pet foods are involved in this recall, and only the specific
code dates of these products are involved.

"To date
there have been 36 cases nationwide of dogs reported with symptoms
consistent with elevated Vitamin D in their systems while feeding on
these specific productions of the products. In all cases the symptoms
have subsided upon discontinuing feeding these products, with no
apparent long term health consequences.

"Blue
Buffalo learned of this potential eondition in its products when it
received reports of dogs diagnosed with high Vitamin D levels while
feeding on the products from these specifie production runs. On further
investigation it was learned that a sequencing error had occurred at
the supplier of the dry ingredients for these products. Immediately
before producing the ingredients for these specific production runs,
the supplier had run a product for another customer that contained a
more potent form of Vitamin D used in chicken feeds. It is now believed
that there was some level of carry over of this Vitamin D product into
the ingredients for the specific manufacturing runs of the BLUE
products, thereby increasing the Vitamin D activity to unacceptable
levels in the Blue ingredients.

"Consumers
who have purchased any of the products being recalled are urged to
return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with
questions may contact the company at 1-877-523-9114 from 8 AM to 8 PM
Eastern Time or visit the Company web site at www.bluebuffalo.com/news9
for more information."

The
Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of
Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats for Dogs due to potential Salmonella
contamination.

The dog food recall involves 74,700 8-oz bags of Hartz Naturals Real
Beef Treats for Dogs, lot
code
BZ0969101E, UPC number 32700-11519.
The dog treats were were imported by Hartz from a Brazilian supplier,
Bertin S.A, and distributed to a number of customers in the United
States.

Although regular testing conducted by Bertin (prior to
shipment to the US) did not detect Salmonella in any packages of this
product, random sample testing conducted by the FDA did indicate the
presence of Salmonella. Hartz is aggressively investigating the source
of the problem.

To date, Hartz has not received any reports of
animals or humans becoming ill as a result of coming into contact with
this product. However, dog owners should immediately discontinue use of
the product and discard it in a proper manner.

Consumers can
contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 with any questions and for information
on how to obtain reimbursement for purchased product.

Merrick Dog
Food
Recalls -
Beef Filet Squares & Texas Hold'ems

August 13,
2010:Merrick Pet Care Expands its Dog Food
Recall to include ALL
LOTS
of its 10 oz “Beef Filet Squares” for dogs and “Texas Hold’ems” pet
treats because they have the potential to be contaminated with
Salmonella.
Salmonella can affect animals and there is risk to humans from handling
contaminated pet products.

From what we can tell, only today, July 2, 2010,
does
Merrick appear to have published
news of this recall on their own website (?!)

Furthermore, it is nowhere to be found on
the
front
page of their website, nor does it appear on the respective order
page(s). Here it is, tucked away under
"About Us - News & Info" - Merrick Pet Care Recalls Beef Filet Squares

Now! If you compare the "Best By" dates
posted by
the
FDA (i.e. November 19, 2011), you will note it is different from the
"Best By" date of March 24, 2012, posted by Merrick! Plus, the lot
numbers differ. The original lot number was 9323, and Merrick's stated
lot
number is 10084TL7.

Is this in fact a new dog food recall of
the
same
product? We shall wait to see if
it appears on the FDA website.

This is
extremely
disappointing! We don't expect to live in a
perfect world, and we appreciate that dog food recalls can/will happen
to even the very best dog food companies. However! What's so very
frustrating, is the "way" the pet food manufacturers handle these
situations. Will they never learn?

The
Procter
& Gamble Company (P&G) (NYSE:PG) is
voluntarily expanding its recall to include veterinary and some
specialized dry pet food as a precautionary measure because it has the
potential to be contaminated with salmonella. No salmonella-related
illnesses have been reported.

The following products are included:

Product
Name

Version

“Best-By”
Dates

UPC
Codes

Iams Veterinary Dry Formulas

All dry sizes and varieties

01Jul10 – 01Dec11

All UPC Codes

Eukanuba Naturally Wild

All dry sizes and varieties

01Jul10 – 01Dec11

All UPC Codes

Eukanuba Pure

All dry sizes and varieties

01Jul10 – 01Dec11

All UPC Codes

Eukanuba Custom Care Sensitive Skin

All dry sizes

01Jul10 – 01Dec11

All UPC Codes

FYI, we scoured both the Iams and Eukanuba websites to locate where
this press release was buried. The only way we were able to uncover
this information was by doing a manual search for "dog food recalls" on
both the Iams and Eukanuba websites.

We consider this extremely shabby and unacceptable! Bear in mind also,
that these so-called "specialized" and "veterinary formula" pet foods
are mostly being fed to already health- compromised and sick dogs!

We made several attempts over a three hour period ... without success
... to reach various Iams and Eukanuba customer service departments for
comment. On each attempt, we were placed on hold "due to high volume"
until our line was automatically disconnected.! Their websites state
that "most calls are answered within two minutes". However,
on
one occasion, we were on hold for half an hour before our call was
dropped!

On June
9,
2010, Procter & Gamble Company also recalled specific lots of
its Iams canned cat food
in
North
America. Diagnostic testing indicated that the product may contain
insufficient levels of thiamine (Vitamin B1), which is essential for
cats.

Please refer to the FDA Pet Health and
Safety
Widget
(top right)
for more information.

A reminder: Procter and Gamble is the company who recently
purchased the all natural premium dog food brand, Natura
Dog
Food.

Update: July
2,
2010United Pet Group Voluntarily
EXPANDS Recall of Nutritional Supplements For Dogs and Cats Because
of Possible Salmonella Health
Risk

United Pet Group's voluntary recall now includes additional pet
nutritional supplement products, including brand names such as Doctors
Foster and Smith, Petco, Excel, DDS, Pro-Pet and
Excel products for dogs and cats.

The recalled products are sold nationally at various
retailers, and all of the affected products are in
tablet and powdered form. Consumers should immediately stop feeding
these supplements to their dogs and cats.

United Pet Group, Cincinnati, Ohio is voluntarily recalling all
unexpired lots of its PRO-PET ADULT DAILY VITAMIN Supplement tablets
for Dogs, as Laboratory testing has revealed that one Lot of this
vitamin product was contaminated with Salmonella.

Consumers should immediately stop feeding
these
supplements to their dogs.

The product was sold nationally at various
retailers. These products are being removed from retail
stores and consumers should immediately stop feeding these supplements
to their pets.

In a random sample test
conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a product sample of
Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Chicken tested positive for Salmonella
.

No illnesses have been reported to date, and this is the only Natural
Balance dog food recalls.

The official Natural
Balance Press Releaseprovides
details of the "Best By" date, bag sizes and UPC codes of the affected
products, as well as a list of all the U.S. states that the products
were distributed to.

Nature’s Variety Dog Food Company has
initiated a
voluntary recall of their Chicken Formula raw dog food and cat food
with the “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10 due to concerns over
Salmonella contamination.

The only products affected are limited to
chicken
medallions, patties, and chubs with a “Best If Used By” date of
11/10/10.

The “Best If Used By” date can be found on the
back of
the packaging directly above the handling instructions.

According to Nature's Variety's
official news release
no human or pet illnesses have been reported to date in connection with
this issue, and no other Nature’s Variety products are affected by this
issue.

We applaud Nature's Variety for their timely
and
professional handling of this dog food recall, and were thrilled to see
the announcement from their CEO upfront and center on their home page.

You can also speak with one of their company
representatives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-374-3142.

In December 2009, the FDA conducted
routine testing of Merrick Beef
Filet Squares and detected a positive finding for Salmonella. A
follow-up inspection found deficiencies in the packaging and
manufacturing processes.

The Beef Filet Squares were shipped to distributors and retailers
throughout the US

No illnesses associated with these products have been
reported. However, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these
products
not to handle or feed them to their pets.

November 02, 2009
Wysong Dog Food Recalls

Wysong has detected mold in batches of its
extruded dog
foods manufactured in June, July and August of 2009. According to
Wysong, they attribute the mold to unusually high heat and humidity
during the summer in combination with a malfunctioning moisture
checking device.

Wysong reported its foods were tested for
mycotoxins and
came back negative.

Please check Wysong's Website, for batch number
details and if
you have received any of these Wysong products, do not feed them to
your dogs. Contact Wysong for product replacement.

Note, Wysong produces premium dog food, and
this
is the
first recall or issue we are aware of by this company.

More than two years after the largest dog food
recall in
history, federal investigators maintain that the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) did not do its job properly;

"... FDA's lack of authority, coupled with its
sometimes
lax adherence to its recall guidance and internal procedures and the
inadequacy of some of those procedures, limited FDA's ability to ensure
that contaminated pet food was promptly removed from retailers'
shelves".

The report was audited by the Office of
Inspector
General (OIG), upon the request of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of
the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Full story.

September 9, 2009
New Government Consumer Website to Provide Pet Food Recall Information

A new Food Safety Consumer Website which
will include dog
food recall Information has just been launched by The United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Department of
Health & Human Services (HHS).

The new website features information from all
the
agencies across the federal government that deal with critical food and
food safety information. “We want to protect pets and animals so we
will include information as it comes up,” said Vicki Rivas-Vazquez, a
spokeswoman for HHS.

“The goal is to provide a ‘one-stop online
shop’
for all
the latest information [consumers] need to reduce the danger of
food-borne illnesses,” said Jerry Mande, Deputy Under Secretary for
Food Safety at USDA.

The website will include information on food
safety,
food recalls (human and pet), preventive tips about how to handle food
safely, and news from the key agencies.

“Protecting the health and well-being of the
American
people is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government,” said
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Our new and innovative approach to
connecting consumers to food safety information in an easy and timely
manner is a critical improvement in this effort.”

The website will eventually include a widget
which
will
instantly update viewers with the latest dog food recalls. As soon as
this widget becomes available, Dog Food Scoop will make it available on
our website.

A new rule is now in effect to help federal
regulators
spot food safety issues sooner. All food manufacturing facilities must
alert government officials of potentially contaminated products, or
other serious safety problems within 24 hours. This rule also applies
to all pet food manufacturers.Full story here.